Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Via monitoring a plurality of physiological data – e.g.,...
Reexamination Certificate
1996-10-21
2001-01-16
Nasser, Robert L. (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Via monitoring a plurality of physiological data, e.g.,...
C600S483000, C600S484000, C600S513000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174283
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for monitoring a system and, more specifically, to an apparatus and a method for monitoring a system to provide information regarding the status of the system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many industries require that vast amounts of data pertaining to a particular system be monitored and analyzed in order to make split-second assessments concerning the condition of the system. For example, physicians and anesthesiologists routinely monitor more than thirty physiological parameters (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output, etc.) when treating patients in intensive care units, operating rooms, and emergency rooms. Also, financial advisors and analysts in the course of their work frequently check many parameters that can influence stock prices (e.g., closing price, 52-week high and low, dividends, yield, change, previous day high and low, etc.) in order to appropriately advise their clients. Further, control room operators, such as in industrial, power plant, and aviation control rooms, monitor a variety of outputs to insure that the system being monitored is functioning properly.
Often, misdiagnosis of the condition of the system occurs because of the sheer volume of the data to be monitored. For example, in the field of anesthesiology, anesthesiologists are surrounded by multiple vital sign monitors that display many data elements and can generate a myriad of alarms. In the noisy and congested atmosphere surrounding an operation on a patient or in the initial period after the operation when a large number of patients may be monitored by a few persons, busy physicians and nurses can miss physiological changes in the patient that are material to the well being of the patient. In this regard, it is estimated that in the United States, between 2,000 and 10,000 patients die each year from anesthesia related accidents. It is believed that many of these accidents could be avoided by transforming the plethora of data currently provided to the physician by monitors into a more useful form that would provide an earlier indication of physiological changes in the condition of the patient.
Monitoring systems have been developed to assist users in processing vast amounts of data. For example, in the medical profession, a patient monitoring system has been described wherein a plurality of medical parameters are measured and transformed to provide a danger level associated with each parameter. The highest danger level is selected to represent the status of the system. The transformation of the medical parameters is performed using a function exhibiting a maximum slope for parameter values near the homeostasis level for that parameter. As the system is extremely sensitive to small changes in each parameter about the homeostasis level of each parameter, the system can lead to false warnings. Also, the measurement of the highest danger level can have limited usefulness as an indicator of the status of the system or patient. More frequently, the user can better assess the status of the system or patient if the user is provided with information about the parameters not registering the highest danger or critical level and information about the parameter at the highest danger or critical level before that parameter reached the critical level.
In light of the above, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus and method for monitoring a system wherein an overwhelmingly large amount of data is consolidated to provide the user with a manageable amount of information to assess the condition of the system and changes in most, if not all, of a set of measured parameters associated with the system. Preferably, the apparatus and method is responsive to the requirements of the user and the specific system being monitored. In addition, the system and method should minimize the number of false warnings and be rapid enough to provide information in a time frame that is required by the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disadvantages associated with the known apparatus and methods for monitoring systems are overcome by an apparatus and method in accordance with the present invention. According to the present invention, individual measured parameters are transformed to generate one or more status indicators. The status indicators provide a user with valuable information for assessing the overall status of the system. In addition, the status indicators can be calculated on-line, in real-time, thereby providing the user with up-to-date information so that the user may quickly respond to problems as they arise. Further, the transformation may be dependent upon individual characteristics of both the particular user and the particular system being monitored. Accordingly, the user will have an intuitive, as well as an empirical, understanding of how decisions regarding the system will influence the transformation of the system.
An apparatus according to the present invention optionally comprises physical sensors or logical sensors, such as monitors, for measuring the values of a plurality of parameters associated with the system of interest. The specific number and types of sensors used will depend upon the particular system being monitored. In one embodiment, the sensors are small enough to be directly attached to the system. An example of such a sensor is a temperature probe. Additionally, the sensor may be a component of a remote sensing station. Accordingly, the sensor can supply measured values to the remote sensing station in either a continuous mode or on demand. Further, the sensor or the remote sensing station may be provided with a data storage means, such as a computer readable disk, for storing the values measured by the sensor so that the values can be processed at a later time.
The sensors are connected to or incorporate a processor so that the values of the measured parameters are passed from the sensors to the processor across one or more signal lines. The processor comprises a transformer which transforms the measured value of each parameter to a deviation indicator. The transformer preferably utilizes three parameter-dependent coefficients, such as baseline, minimum, and maximum values, to generate the deviation indicator corresponding to each parameter. The parameter-dependent coefficients are preferably transferred to the transformer from a user interface, such as a computer keyboard, or from a data-storage means, such as a computer readable disk. The user interface communicates with the transformer via signal lines.
The deviation indicators corresponding to each parameter are then passed to an analyzer across another signal line. The analyzer analyzes or evaluates the individual deviation indicators and generates one or more status indicators. The status indicators represent information regarding the overall status of the system being monitored. This information can be provided to the user so that the user can assess the status of the system. Additionally, the status indicators can provide the user with information regarding the status of individual deviations of certain parameters comprising a subsystem of the system. Preferably, the status indicators comprise a maximum deviation indicator, an average deviation indicator, and/or a system criticality indicator.
The deviation indicators are then displayed in a form that is easily analyzed by the user. In a preferred embodiment, the deviation indicators are displayed by providing a pictorial representation of the general system showing at least one structure associated with one or more of the measured parameters and labels identifying the parameters, subsystems and/or sensors. The labels comprise descriptors which inform the user of the parameters, subsystems and/or sensors being identified by the labels. The labels also comprise display windows for displaying of the deviation indicator associated with the parameters, subsystems and/or sensors. The degree of deviation of the deviation indicator is preferably indicated by assigning different colors to diffe
Dagalur Srinivas S.
Nevo Igal
Newman Mark
Salah Maher
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
Childs, Jr. John S.
Nasser Robert L.
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